Interview with Rohit Batta | Skyria

I hope this can inspire you to become a successful entrepreneur too! Why is it important to hear the story of a successful entrepreneur?

Having the vision to become an entrepreneur is great. Making it happen is another story!

In that frame, I had the pleasure to interview Rohit Batta, founder of Skyria. Skyria came into existence in January 2018, and since then it has continuously tried to reach out and make women’s lives better. Women have always been perceived as givers, and rarely do any of their tasks involve self-care. Skyria fuels itself on the simple notion of providing to these providers and strives to make the fitness arena accessible to every woman out there. Skyria offers an array of stylish activewear that adheres to a wide size range, built upon a belief that a good workout gear not only brings positivity but also the much-needed motivational push to be fit.

1. What is your morning motivation every day?
The primary source of my motivation every day is the feedback from our customers. It makes me leap forward and strive for self-improvement and also keeps the whole team on their toes. We credit our customers for the amount of passion we put into each of our designs.

2. Why should a customer choose your products?
More than the product, we promote the idea behind it. Skyria resulted from a drive to leave the fitness scenario a slightly better place. Good quality activewear that also comes in different designs and styles is quite a rare sight in the Indian market. So, my wife and I decided to fill the gap by formulating products that don’t compromise on fabric and style while also being under a reasonable price bracket. We also bring with us a network of fitness-conscious women, hence, when a woman chooses Skyria, she also chooses to be a part of a much-motivated fitness community, the #SkyriaTribe. We aim at being included as a part in a women’s fitness journey. We also offer consultation services with stylists and deliver all over India with easy returns.

3. What is your competitive edge?
Our competitive edge would be a hard-working team that creates new designs at the drop of a hat. Every thread that goes into our garments is used only if it outperforms everything else. Innovation would be another factor at play, as none of our designs look like the other. Customer feedback becomes important here as well, as designs are created by improvising on their suggestions. The idea is crystal clear – to make garments that are trendsetters. All of our efforts go in only one direction, to present to our customers a mix of quality activewear with pathbreaking designs. The dedication with which the Skyria team works to make these ideas a reality cannot be replicated.

4. What risks could you be facing?
The only risk that comes to my mind would be a slack in spreading awareness about Skyria. There might be a possibility that we’re not reaching our audience fast enough.

5. Do you have any alliances/partnerships underway?
Ans. We have partnered with multiple athletes through our Skyria Ambassador Program. These athletes act as our ambassadors, thereby interacting with and motivating our audience regularly. Some of these ambassadors are inspirational sportspersons of India, who have lifted up our community’s spirits from time to time by sharing their fitness journeys with us. Apart from this, we are soon going to partner with offline distribution channels as well.

6. What are your cash flow projections? When will you break even and how much investment would you need?
We are a bootstrapped business. Since we’re operationally profitable, we would not need external investments. We should be able to break even within one year and grow organically from there.

7. Money or emotions?
Emotions laid the foundation stone of Skyria. It was an urge to fill the gap between good quality activewear and stylish activewear. However, an emotional dream needs monetary assistance to be fuelled further. We do need money to complete the vision of being a part of every woman’s fitness journey, and profitability will help us thrive.

8. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
My greatest strength would be the ability to empathize exactly what the consumer wants and the passion to deliver apt results. What I count as a weakness is spending too much time overdoing things until they seem perfect. I also try to plan everything ahead, and sometimes things do unfold differently.

9. Name one accomplishment you are most proud of.
We spent several months taking inputs, understanding the pain points of women who are fitness enthusiasts and building upon the previous day to make our first designs. When we finally did launch, our designs were reviewed really well and matched the expectations of our customers. Today, we’re proud that 30% of our customers are repeat buyers and we currently have a net promoter score of 81% from our customers.

10. How do you handle the pressure that comes with owning a company?
It becomes easier to cope up with pressure if you are open to suggestions and are 100% transparent to your family, friends, and well-wishers. Also, all of us should develop the ability to accept our failures, as you only grow upon your mistakes.

11. If you were to sell your company today, how would you present it on the table? What would you want to gain?
I have no plans to sell the company off. However, if we were to sell it, it would be to a person who identifies with the vision of the company and drives it in the same direction, but with better resources. I would actually be really happy to be a part of the same company and see that vision being manifested.

12. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the same field?
If you are an individual entrepreneur, make it a point to share your day to day journey with people around you, most likely family and friends. If you start out as partners, utmost transparency is the key to a successful business. You need to be upfront with your ideas and even with your conflicts. If something needs to be pointed out, do not stall the confrontation. Other than that, do not hesitate to delegate responsibility to your co-workers. Do not hide your failures. Discuss everything that went wrong and dig out the root of the issue. Ensure that your team understands your idea and your vision inside out. Inculcate within them the values you want to have in your company. Smaller goals need to be taken seriously as they lead to the big one. Lastly, persistence is the key.

Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/skyriaofficial
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skyriaofficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/skyriaofficial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyria
Youtube: https://youtu.be/g01a4Bq5aD8